Monrovia – Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has taken a swipe back at her vice President Joseph Boakai’s recent assertions that she has been showing a lukewarm approach toward his candidacy for the Liberian presidency, expressing surprise at a FrontPageAfrica’s publication of a recent interview with Vice President Joseph Boakai.
lennart Dodoo, [email protected]
In a statement Wednesday, the President’s office explained that Sirleaf and Vice President Boakai on Friday, February 24, 2017 met for nearly two hours at the Executive Mansion prior to her departure for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Together they reviewed the status of the Unity Party (UP) and appropriate actions needed to be taken to bring back the unity of the party and the momentum required for political victory.
The statement noted: “President Sirleaf is clear that it is not only money but clear and well defined strategies that will lead to victory for the Vice President and the Unity Party. Therefore, the focus of some partisans on money cannot be the magic wand for getting votes. She urges all with interest in the party to remain focused on the political goals ahead of the party and the Vice President.President Sirleaf is clear that it is not only money but clear and well defined strategies that will lead to victory for the Vice President and the Unity Party.”
The President, in recent time, has come under several reproaches for not doing much to support and prepare the party ahead of the October presidential and legislative elections.
Many partisans of the Unity Party also accused her of pumping more money into opposition Liberty Party and its standard bearer, Cllr. Charles W. Brumskine.
This accusation stems from the unprecedented fleet of vehicles being acquired by the Liberty Party and the cross carpeting of staunch members and supporters of the Unity Party to the Liberty Party, including the high profile resignation of Harrison Karnwea.
President Sirleaf is yet to harken to calls from party members to dismiss him as Managing Director of the Forestry Development Authority.
She was also accused by some members of the party in Nimba County of refusing to attend a meeting called by them and failing to state who she would be supporting during the elections.
Amidst the criticisms and accusation, the Press Secretary to the President, through a statement wrote: “The President is on record about her choice of candidate in the 2017 elections and that has not changed. When the time for politic comes, she will do what is required of a campaign and politics.”
But FrontPageAfrica observed during an exclusive interview with Vice President Boakai on Monday, February 27 that he is of the opinion that his boss, who he holds over three decades of relationship with and has served as her Vice President for the past 11 years, has not been able to build confidence in him as her successor.
Writings on the Wall
Boakai is uncertain who President Sirleaf supports but said it could be that she is keeping her trump card of support to herself as she hasn’t rendered the party any support.
“I know what she’s not doing for the Unity Party, but the people probably know what she’s doing for other parties. We’re asking her – the Unity Party is her party, it’s the party that would bear her legacy and she ought to be supporting it,” he said.
Beating around the bush in relation who the President might be supporting, Boakai told FrontPageAfrica to listen to what Liberians are saying.
“I am not the one saying that President Sirleaf fully supports Brumskine. The people are reading the signs and they’re saying that.
We live in a society where everybody supposedly is informed about everything that is happening. So the way we go about things, the people are informed and they interpret your movement, your action, your body language and they say, ‘We see certain things happening.’”
“Whether she’s supporting Brumskine wholly and solely I don’t know. The people who are reading the signs are saying ‘This is what we see.’ They have spoken to it publicly, she has heard it.